Occupational Health and Safety Assembly (İSİG) July 2025 Report: 204 Workers Died, High Temperatures and Child Labor Are Major Factors

ISTANBUL - The Occupational Health and Safety Assembly (İSİG) has released its July 2025 Occupational Murders Report, once again highlighting the alarming scale of worker fatalities in Turkey. According to the report, at least 204 workers lost their lives in July alone, bringing the total number of work-related deaths in the first seven months of 2025 to 1165. Key issues identified in the report include fatalities among wildfire fighters, deaths caused by extreme heat, and the tragic loss of child workers.

The Heavy Toll of Wildfires and Extreme Heat

The report states that wildfires in July tragically claimed the lives of 17 workers. İSİG Assembly pointed out that these deaths could have been prevented, citing factors such as an insufficient budget for firefighting, a lack of necessary equipment, poor forest roads, inadequate staffing, and a widespread reliance on subcontracted, non-unionized workers. The report also emphasized the lack of proper occupational safety training and personal protective equipment for workers.

With July being the third hottest month on record globally, the report identifies extreme heat as a significant contributor to worker fatalities. It highlights that workers in outdoor sectors such as agriculture, construction, and delivery services were forced to work under life-threatening conditions without any precautions. The report referenced warnings from the Turkish Medical Association's (TTB) Occupational Health and Workplace Physicians Branch, noting that extreme heat can lead to fatal consequences like heart attacks and brain hemorrhages.

Child Labor is Alarming: 9 Children Died in July

One of the most striking findings in the İSİG Assembly's report concerns child labor. At least 9 child workers were reported to have died on the job in July. The report links statements made by National Defense University Rector Erhan Afyoncu and Minister of Family Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş regarding "fertility rates" and the need for a "young population for the army" to a policy that sees child labor as a source of cheap labor and young people as potential soldiers for future conflicts.

The report also cited a study by DİSK-AR, "Inflation and Rising Taxes Erode Worker Wages," to highlight that poverty is a key reason why people are unable to have children, while those children who are born are tragically dying in occupational incidents. Heartbreaking examples were provided, such as the death of 17-year-old intern Mehmet Dallı, who fell at a construction site, and 12-year-old Eyüp Can Güner, who died after being chased by his foreman for "working too slowly."

Sectoral and Demographic Distribution of Fatalities

According to İSİG Assembly's detailed data, the highest number of occupational deaths in July, 54, occurred in the agriculture and forestry sector. This was followed by construction (47 deaths), transportation (26 deaths), and municipal services (15 deaths).

The most common causes of death were traffic/service accidents, falls from height, crushing/collapsing, and heart attacks/brain hemorrhages. While the 30-49 age group saw the most fatalities, at least 9 female workers and 7 immigrant workers also lost their lives.

The report emphasized that non-unionized workers face a significantly higher risk of death, with 96.08% of the deceased workers being non-union members. The İSİG Assembly concluded that these statistics underscore the urgent need for concrete measures to improve occupational health and safety, increase inspections, and remove barriers to unionization.